---
title: Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper… — Silent letters: why French doesn't say… · tree and pragmatics
description: Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper sus." ("Sus" means odd.) Which rule explains it? Test 9 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question
---

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# Test 9 · Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper sus." ("Sus" means odd.) Which rule explains it?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Jayden, ils parlent, that, Sus, rule · **What happens:** say, not get, be, mean, explain · **To what, where:** ent bit, proper sus, sus · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper sus."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:1
# text = Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper sus."
1	Jayden	Jayden	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	ils	ils	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	8	flat:foreign	_	_
8	parlent	parlent	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	10	nsubj	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	parataxis	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
12	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	ent	ent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	bit	bit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
16	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	19	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
18	proper	proper	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	sus	sus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Jayden |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **get** *in a quote* | past | ils parlent | the ent bit |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer bit=Stimulus |
| 3 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | that | proper sus |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* ("Sus" means odd.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:2
# text = ("Sus" means odd.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Sus	sus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	odd	odd	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Sus |  |  |  |  | odd *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Which rule explains it?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:3
# text = Which rule explains it?
1	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	explains	explain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | present | which rule | sus |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only boys' names drop the -ent ending

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:o1:1
# text = Only boys' names drop the -ent ending
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	'	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	names	name	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	drop	drop	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	ent	ent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drop** | present | boys's names | the ent ending |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ending=Theme |
| 2 | **name** |  | boys |  |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The -ent is only silent when you whisper

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:o2:1
# text = The -ent is only silent when you whisper
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	ent	ent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	9	mark	_	_
8	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	whisper	whisper	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the ent |  |  |  |  | silent *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **whisper** *speech: assert* | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
French people are too lazy to say the ends

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:o3:1
# text = French people are too lazy to say the ends
1	French	French	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	too	too	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	lazy	lazy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	csubj	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	ends	end	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | French people |  |  |  |  | lazy *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | the ends |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent end=Topic |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
After ils or elles, a verb's -ent is silent

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t9:o4:1
# text = After ils or elles, a verb's -ent is silent
1	After	after	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	ils	il	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	elles	elle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	verb	verb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	ent	ent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a verb's ent |  |  |  | after ils or elles | silent *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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